It's been a year since the global ban on plastic bags. The only people who still have them are hoarders, upcyclers, clean freaks and seniors. The world is a different place. Plastic bags are frowned upon but many folks can't stomach the rising costs...
Around the time that the ban hit, anxiety was at an all time high. Grocery stores were riddled with stressed out mom's screaming at clerks and masses of bewildered and unprepared people who angrily tried to clutch their groceries in their arms. Many refused to pay for overpriced totes and continued to use up the plastic bags they held onto.
We knew the ban was coming. We had two years to prepare. But here's the thing... We didn't.
We just kept asking for bags under our breath at the store occasionally amongst the prying eyes of judgmental environmentalists. But the discomfort only lasted for a minute or two. And then we'd do it all over again a couple of weeks later when we found ourselves back at the grocery store. It always felt better when the person in front of you was doing the exact same thing. Because then you knew, there were more like you.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Humans are lazy. And we don't like change all that much. Even slow logical change that makes the world a better place and the planet healthier. We are creatures of habit and we don't often make the best decisions for our own quality of life or the health of the planet. We're kind of dumb.
Many people still couldn't see a world without plastic bags even after an entire year of them being banned. This is called severe denial.
And that's where my story begins.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
